Pyotr Grigorevich Sozonov
Pyotr Grigorevich Sozonov was a Designated Marksman and soldier of the Russian Ground Forces. For his actions thoughout the events of World War III, Pyotr Sozonov was posthumously awarded the honorary title of Hero of the Russian Federation. Pre-War Period Early Life Pyotr Sozonov was born and raised near Pskov, Russia, to Olga Levtchenko and Grigori Sozonov. Since his teenage years, Pyotr Sozonov loved to hunt. Years of stalking local game with his father's Mosin-Nagant rifle honed his shot, preparing him for the years ahead. He also learned multiple languages, including Chinese, German, English, and Portuguese. He was very good friends with fellow peers, such as Dmitri Degtyaryov, Andrei Nevski, Sasha Borodin, and Anya Kosolov. Pyotr enlisted to join the Russian Ground Forces in 2005, at age 20. 2008 South Ossetia War and after When the 2008 South Ossetia War broke out, Pyotr was sent to the area. Despite the primary enemy being the Georgian Armed Forces, Pyotr's squad came under fire from Chechen terrorists on two separate incidents, whereas they only clashed with Georgian Forces on one occasion. After the war ended, Pyotr, who did not enjoy being a regular rifleman, applied for sniper school and was accepted. He soon passed, doing so well that the school's instructor recommended him to join the VDV. He was transferred and he soon went through intense, vigorous training and tests. 2013 Volgograd Hostage Crisis On April 25, 2013, Chechen Terrorists took Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and multiple associates of theirs hostage during Angela Merkel's visit to Volgograd. The following day, Pyotr Sozonov was assigned to aid the German KSK and Russian Alfa Group teams sent in to rescue the hostages, being assigned a German spotter, Jörg Mueller. This was his first operation in the VDV after graduating sniper school. For morre effective sniper-spotter cooperation and coordination, Pyotr used a German MSG-90 instead of the VDV's standard-issue SVD, as Mueller knew how to calculate the ballistics of the MSG's round, but not that of the SVD. As the Hostage Rescue Teams closed in on the building, Pyotr shot a Chechen standing guard, looking out over the street. This became Pyotr's first confirmed killing of another human. by the end of the operation, Pyotr had 6 total confirmed kills, as well as wounding the leader of the terrorists and two other Chechens. The overly successful operation was, for two months after, the center of worldwide attention, many nations lauding the two nations involved for their efficient cooperation with one another, as well as how quickly each country reacted, as the hostages were rescued less than 24 hours after being captured (19 hours, to be exact). Pyotr himself was anonymously interviewed by RT. 2013-2019 After the public hype from the 2013 Hostage Crisis had died out, Pyotr went back to his hometown in the Caucasus, living a quiet life. He countinued to hunt, but he now used an SVD rifle, to help hone his accuracy with the weapon that he would use in the field. Pyotr was soon reunited with his childhood friend, Anya Kosolov, and the two started dating soon after. On January 31, 2014, Pyotr joined the Eastern Orthodox Church, and was baptized the following month. On December 17, 2015, Pyotr proposed to Anya, and the two were married on July 9, 2016. Pyotr was transferred to Vladivostok on August 11, 2017, as part of a builup of troops in Eastern Russia in response to increased tensions with China and North Korea. World War III Siege of Vladivostok On December 31, 2018, the PLA began their siege of Vladivostok, laying waste to any Russian forces that tried to push them back. The Russians held out, focusing their defenses primarily on the numerous evacuation sites for the many civilians in the city. Pyotr himself was stationed on one of the Russky Island Bridge's towers, where he helped defend the Russky Island evacuation point. Defense of the East 100 Parallel After successfully holding out long enough against the Chinese advance, Pyotr was allowed a three week's leave. As he learned of the advancing Chinese, Pyotr frequently contacted his old friend Andrei Nevski on the subject of moving to Moscow, to ensure the safety of Anya in the event that the Chinese forces ever reached Pyotr's hometown. Once his leave was over, he was called back into the front lines, where he frequently provided sniper support for VDV troops carrying out incursions behind enemy lines. He also took part in the First Invasion of China, where he, along with the rest of his brigade, was forced to retreat. His most notable battle was the Russian's defense of the Eastern 100th Parallel, a longitudinal line where General Valentin Baryshnikov chose to have his troops dig in and halt the Chinese advance. Dmitri's deployment in this battle was towards the south, very close to the Kazakh Border. He used an SVD rifle for this operation, scoring five confirmed kills, including one sniper. It was later confirmed that the sniper was Cheng Shao, one of the PLA's best snipers. Pyotr continued to provide support for VDV teams as they raided enemy convoys and outposts. Operation August Storm Pyotr's next notable assignment was during the opening fights of Operation August Storm, the Russian invasion of Manchuria, in which he provided sniper support from an Mi-26 Halo Helicopter, scoring numerous confirmed kills with his rifle, an SVK-12, believed to be almost thirty. His helicopter was later hit by a PLA FN-16 Man-Portable SAM, and the helicopter crash-landed, with eight passengers and crew members killed and fifteen wounded. Pyotr was lightly wounded. PLA scouts soon found the helicopter, and the surviving crew and pasengers attempted to defend the wrecked helicopter from the increasingly numerous PLA mechanized units, before Pyotr and two others fled into the woods upon the arrival of a PLA tank unit. Pyotr and his accomplices soon ran into a PLA patrol, and one of Pyotr's accomplices was shot and killed. The patrol detained Pyotr and the other survivor. Pyotr spent Battle of Beijing, Death Despite protests from his wife, Pyotr wished to return to China. His final deployment was to Beijing, China, in what is considered to be the final battle of the war. Allied forces had surrounded the city and were ready to take full control. Pyotr was assigned to provide sniper cover for a team of US Marines as they fought their way to the main government building. As the Marines stormed the building, the Chinese activated their final surprise- an 18-kiloton nuclear warhead ready to go off in the event that the capital would be overrun. Over 70,000 were killed, including Pyotr. Little else is known about Pyotr's final moments, and the only surviving details are recorded radio chatter between Pyotr, the Marines, and Allied Command. Post-Death For his many accomplishments during World War III, Pyotr was post-humously awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation. His body, found by a Chinese (ROC/Taiwan) post-disaster recovery team, was buried in the Pskov Cemetery in Pskov, Russia. To those who knew him, Pyotr was a hero, viewed as being as great of a man as even Vasili Zaytsev, the famous WWII Soviet sniper. His fame slowly spread. Pyotr's childhood friend Andrei Nevski wrote a biography of Pyotr, titled Pyotr Sozonov: A True Russian Hero, and his SVD rifle was put on display at the Military Museum in Belgrade, Serbia. Pictures Category:World War III (BBP09) Category:Bumblebeeprime09